Buying in Bulk

There is something so amazing and gratifying about bulk food shopping:
10 toothbrushes for less than a dollar a brush–yes!
48 double rolls of toilet paper for the cost of 40–you betcha!
12 chicken breasts more than $2 off per pound (in comparison to the grocery store)–hallelujah!

We are relatively new to the bulk food/sundry shopping world, having just joined the local COSTCO in town for a “mere” $50 membership fee. And while I’m pretty sure we’re recouping that cost with all the savings, there’s part of me that questions–is it really that great? Does my family really need to stock up on everything from A to Z in such vast quantities? And why does our fridge still seem empty midway through the week? Are we actually saving money or rather buying extra of things we really don’t need?

Using Costco for buying diapers and gasoline seems to make good sense, but I’m finding myself returning week after week. It is an additional shopping trip when I’m already feeling swamped heading to the regular grocery store once. Can there be a better way? Can the words “budget” and “meal planning” by synonymous with the word “bulk”?